why after an hour of nursing does the baby still want a bottle

[TraciG]

Nursed before for about an hour, toward the end Sydney starts moving around a lot , I thought gas pains but it seems she's just hungry, I check, I see I still have milk so I dont understand what's going on, is it not coming out fast enough, this happens at night a lot lately, it used to happen around 10 - 11, now it seems to be happening earlier, so after I nurse her we make a bottle of formula & of course she eats it like she's starving, I am getting upset about this, this week has been crazy also missed a few feedings so of course now I worry about the milk supply, breasfeeding is just so hard sometimes !!!!!!!!!!!!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

She drinks the bottle because she has an instinctive need to suck and when you stick a bottle in her mouth and she sucks, the liquid comes out and she has to swallow it or drown.

It's not necessarily because she is hungry. It's because she needs to suck. Let her keep sucking on your nipple, or on your finger, or a pacifier.

Logan was the same way, she was a very slow eater, she would nurse for an hour or more, and then when she finally popped off my nipple, she would suck on our finger for another hour, or on her thumb once she found that at about 3 months.

Some babies just need to suck a lot.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[Momof3Labs]

The other thing is that by giving her a bottle of formula every night, you are reducing your supply. It is hard, but if you just stick to nursing her, your supply will increase enough to satisfy her. If you keep on giving formula, your supply will continue to decrease and you will have to give more formula - a vicious cycle, unfortunately.

And yes, breastfeeding is hard! But so is parenting in general - and it is all worth it!!!

[Rachels]

Just wanted to echo both of these! If you exclusively nurse, your supply will come up within just a few days. Traci, you sound like some in-person breastfeeding support could really make a huge difference for you. Have you looked into LLL or a mom's group?

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[chlobo]

wow Traci, the same thing is going on with me & Isabella. I think she nurse on and off for about 3 hourslast night. My husband said she also sucked his finger for an hour so maybe the above posters are right.

[KGoes]

Babies cluster feed in the evenings to help build up calories so that they can sleep longer. DD went through this where she would feed on the hour every hour for about 3-4 hours before she went to sleep and then would sleep 5-6 hours with the time period gradually increasing. To help DD get enough milk at one time and to cut back on some of the feedings, we added a EBM feeding at night. First, she would get her bath, then DH would offer her a bottle of EBM. While he did this, I would pump. The reason is that the richer evening milk is higher in calories, so that is what I wanted her to have. I would use what I pumped the next night. Sometimes she would need some time at the breast before she dropped off, but as time went on, this became shorter and shorter, and finally she was going off to sleep without nursing - and sleeping through the night. Establishing this routine has also helped us while traveling. As soon as she gets a bath, DD knows that a bottle is coming and then sleep - makes trips to grandma's house more relaxing for everyone.
You do not need to give her formula to make her sleep - you have all the tools. Enjoy this time, it really does fly by . . .
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[chlobo]

kgoes, at wat age did you start this routine? My baby is 8 weeks and still doesnt come close to sleeping a five hour stretch.

[KGoes]

I responded to your e-mail, but just in case it's waylaid in cyberspace, we started at about 6 weeks or so.

Kelley
DD born 7/03

[TraciG]

I figure when Sydney gets a bottle of formula I can then pump to build up a supply for the freezer ( only time I pump ) I dont know when else to pump, should I do it when the baby is sleeping in the day, I just worry then if she wakes up that i wont have enough milk for her.

YES I should go to a support group I have so many questions, as u all know !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Am always worried too !!!!!!!!!!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

You can feed her right after you pump and will still have enough milk. The breast keeps making milk as long as the baby is suckling.

I started pumping at 5 weeks, and pumped every morning at 5:30 AM, and then fed the baby right after I finished pumping. That is how I built my freezer stash for going back to work.

Why do you need to pump at all? I don't understand what you are accomplishing by giving formula so you can pump, why not nurse the baby at that time and give her breastmilk fresh from the tap?

It is important to nurse as often as possible in the first three months so you don't have a supply problem after 4 months when the hormones are gone. The first 3-4 months your body is making milk on demand because of the hormones in your body from the pregnancy and birth. After 4 months, your body makes milk based on what it remembers from the first 4 months. Any formula feeding that you do in the first 3-4 months can mess you up later.

Just nurse the baby when the baby is hungry and do it until the baby is full. You are making things harder for yourself. Please go to a La Leche League meeting, or see a lactation consultant.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[Rachels]

I agree! Breastfeeding can be hard to learn to do, but it does sound like you're adding complications. Trust your body and your baby. This will all even out! You're doing a great thing by nursing, but it's clear that you need some support. Call LLL TODAY, or find a mom's group with nursing mothers. It will do wonders for both your stress level and your breastfeeding relationship.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[chlobo]

the reason I pump (although i dont do formula in a bottle) is to give myself a break. If I've been nursing all day its nice to have a chunk of time when my husband gives a bottle of ebm. Yes I still have to pump but it usually taakes less time and my husband & I can get a sense of how much our daughter will take in one sitting (something you cant tell from a breast).

Finally, there is tremendous pressure out there to supplement. Not a day goes by when my mother doesnt suggest I supplement, citing the numerous people she has been quzzing who swear that their babies were happier & more content b/c they had a bottle of formula everyday, not to mention the fact that I was a formula baby and I came out fine. Never mind that my baby weighs plenty. She has interpreted all her infant fussiness & gas to breastmilk.

I'm sure Traci is feeling the same pressures (at least it sounds like it) and getting no support for wantin to attend a LL meeting.

[lmintzer]

As one who struggled for 4 months with bf my first ds, I just wanted to tell you that I can see how hard you are trying and how stressed you are. I know exactly how awful it feels to be working so hard at something that feels so important and feeling like it isn't going as planned. You are doing an AMAZING job trying to get through this with your daughter. No matter how long you decide to bf, you have given her something wonderful and should pat yourself on the back. : ) I remember my wonderful LC in Los Angeles (where we lived at the time) always remembering to recognize my good efforts, and boy, did it help. I'm hoping to pass a little of that good feeling for your good work on to you.

Lisa
& Jack, 4/20/01 (who managed to bf for 15 months after 4 months of struggling)
& Joshua, 11/16/03 (7 weeks and bf pretty well--though still challening, it is easier the 2nd time around)

[lizajane]

how long is your baby sleeping at night? NEVER deny a feeding, but you could try offering a pacifier to see if the baby is hungry or just needing some comfort. we realized that schuyler was waking up after a sleep cycle now and then and just needed help getting back to sleep. as soon as he started nursing for less than 5 minutes and passing out (he nursed 10 minutes per side at that age) i determined that he was nursing for comfort and not food. so i gave him a pacifier and rocked him back to sleep. i started this process at about 7 weeks, and he slept all night (8 hours) the night he turned 9 weeks. he continued to sleep all night (eventually 12 hours around 4 or 5 months) until he started teething at 6 months.

i realize this method is offensive to some, and as i said before, NEVER EVER DENY A FEEDING. but when baby just needs to suck, and mommy just needs to sleep, this method worked really well for us. (i got it from the baby whisperer book.)

also, many moms would prefer to nurse a baby back to sleep for comfort and bonding reasons. so if that is your preference, i am sorry if i offended you.

[jennifer13]

I was just thinking what Liza posted above. Have you tried offering a pacifier after an hour of feeding? My L.C. encouraged me to help DD find her fingers so that she could do some non-nutritive sucking on her own since it was starting to wear me down.

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03

[Momof3Labs]

Most of us have experienced the pressure from others to supplement or formula feed, and have dealt with it in various ways (none right, none wrong, we all do what works for us). But, honestly, that is something that every parent experiences, and not just about bf'ing issues (believe me, it doesn't end for a loooooong time). As parents, if you have decided that this is the right road for you and you can't find the support within your family, it is up to YOU to find the support that you need elsewhere.

Said another way, your baby counts on YOU to meet his/her needs in whatever way YOU (not your mother, neighbor, stranger in the post office line) decide is right. If you feel that you need outside support (such as a LLL meeting) to meet your baby's needs, then YOU, as your baby's parents, have a responsibility to seek out that support.

A perpetually stressed out parent will have a difficult time meeting his/her baby's emotional needs. I'm a HUGE bf'ing advocate, but I think that having a mommy that is stressed out for months at a time can outweigh the benefits of bf'ing. Oooh, I'll probably get flamed for that :-) but that's okay!

ETA: I'm not saying that anyone should wean, so please, no one take it that way! I am saying, however, that you should feel free to seek out the support that you need, regardless of what anyone else (except maybe your partner) says!

[Momof3Labs]

I was thinking about it - why not just nurse the baby when you are with her and give her formula when you are not? If you aren't exclusively bf'ing, why do you need to build a freezer stash for when you are gone?

That would definitely simplify things for you!

[TraciG]

I Think Sydney is pretty much exclusively breasfed, she was getting 1 bottle a night, but we haven't done that in about a week, we were out at a restaurant over the weekend & we had to give her a bottle of formula, I guess If I had the frozen milk I could have given her that, i think I'll start pumping when Sydney is napping in her swing in the day, I was always afraid I wouldn't have milk for her if she woke up. I will eventually go to a LLL meeting, problem is i'm shy, takes me time to do these things, I know I REALLY need to, as u all know !!!!!!!!!!!!

I do know Sydney is BIGTIME into comfort sucking, she still doesn't take a pacifier although I gave up trying, i will start to try again, she only falls asleep at night sucking, I lay on my side, I usually fall asleep first while holding my boob for her !!

I mostly just get nervous or I should say confused after she has been nursing an hour & acts crazy, I dont know why.


thanks guys